Kevin Costner Goes to Washington, Touts "Partial" Gulf Spill Fix

Receive the latest celebrity updates in your inbox

Actor Kevin Costner testifies about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during a House Committee on Science and Technology hearing on Capitol Hill, June 9, 2010 in Washington, DC. The committee is hearing testimony from Mr. Costner on his Ocean Therapy Solutions machines that separate oil from water and is being tested in the gulf.

Updated at 2:24 PM PDT on Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010

Kevin Costner navigated a global disaster area in the 1995 film “Waterworld.” Now the Hollywood actor has cast himself a real-life role in cleaning up the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Top Entertainment Photos

Testifying as a "discouraged U.S. citizen and entrepreneur" alongside a panel of academic and government experts, Costner said a company he’s invested in could offer a “partial solution to the tragedy unfolding in the Gulf.”

The company, Ocean Therapy Solutions, has developed a purifying machine to separate oil from water, Costner said.

Celebrity Ink

"What I can provide is a technology that is available immediately, a technology that will allow rigs to resume operation and put people back to work," Costner told Congress.

Cause Celebs

That go-ahead contrasts with Hollywood heavy-hitter James Cameron’s efforts to aid in the spill response.

The acclaimed director of “The Abyss,” “Titanic” and “Avatar” said his offer to help plug the gushing deep-sea well by using submarines and undersea robots was rebuffed. Cameron called engineers involved in the clean-up effort “morons” before later backtracking on the name-calling.

With oil from the Gulf spill continuing to gush for its 50th day, Costner also had harsh words for those in charge.

"The most powerful country in the world is fumbling its way through the biggest environmental disaster in history," Costner told Congress, according to the News. "We are all at fault here. It's just too easy to blame BP. What we need to do now is come together."